Across America today, millions of people are unable to save for even short-term emergencies -- but in some places, people have it worse than others. Business Insider reveals the states where residents are the least able to cope with unexpected money troubles.

By the time we hit the big 3-0, we expect our lives will be on track: Careers under way, finances under control, and perhaps even a partner to share the journey with. But the downturn has knocked millions of early 30-somethings off the track they expected to follow.

If stocks are rising, many Wall Street gurus take it as evidence that the economy is improving. Yet even though the S&P 500 has soared 80% from its March 2009 lows, 70% of Americans don't believe the recession is over. Is Main Street's grasp on reality firmer than Wall Street's? Let's look at the data:

With nation stuck in job drought -- adding just 71,000 new private sector jobs -- more pressure will be on the Federal Reserve to do what it can to stimulate an economy that's operating well below its potential. One puzzle: How to create jobs in a period of soaring productivity?

This year looks like it'll be an even worse year to graduate than last year -- and 2009 was dire. A factor keeping young people from decent jobs is older workers delaying retirement due to shrunken nest eggs.

March was a fairly good month for employment growth after all, as the economy added 162,000 nonfarm payroll jobs, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Thursday. It was the biggest U.S. employment rise since March 2007, when the economy added 239,000 jobs.

After suffering through unemployment for weeks, many workers are accepting temporary jobs that move them from the unemployed into the little discussed "underemployed" category. It may be that dealing with being underemployed may be the price workers pay to set themselves up for full-time jobs as the economy expands.

Although it seems like toting up the numbers should be fairly straightforward, it turns out to be a complicated calculation, thanks to several inherent difficulties. For starters, unemployment is a snapshot of a moving target.